"A ia hoi, nani ka maika'i a me ka oluolu, O ka noho lokahi pu ana o na hoahanau!"
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

A pule in advance of Friday's meeting of the Supreme Court justices

Aloha kakou,

In anticipation of the Supreme Court justices' likely meeting this Friday, April 13, regarding John Doe's petition for a hearing before the high court, please find the pule which our southern California KS alumni and 'Ainahau o Kaleponi Hawaiian Civic Club shared this past Saturday at Huntington Beach pier.

We share this with you in hopes that you will join us in praying this week, particularly on Friday. Feel free to circulate this as you are led.

"Almighty God, we come together this Easter-tide, mindful that even death has been swallowed up in victory by Your resurrection over 2,000 years ago. Lord Jesus, we ask You to breath Your resurrection life into na kanaka maoli, our people. Give us continued hope in the face of these legal battles against the resources intended to preserve us and our culture from extinction. Remind us that our very breath comes from You alone.

Help us to have forgiveness in our hearts for those who continue to pursue this lawsuit, and their supporters. May we remember that Your death on the cross was for the forgiveness of all, including those who have set themselves against our people. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

We remember Ke Ali’i Pauahi’s legacy once again, not just her gift of resources to restore our people in our homeland, but especially her heart, full of faith in You, and her example of integrity and courage in the face of personal difficulty and the challenges facing our people when she was dying.

Remind us that nothing is impossible for You. May we have Princess Pauahi’s courage and faith this coming week as the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States meet and confer regarding John Doe’s petition for a hearing.We ask you to protect Princess Pauahi’s legacy, so that throughher selfless gift, our descendants will thrive and prosper for generations to come.

We lift up by name the nine justices of the Supreme Court, and ask that You give them wisdom and insight that will lead them to a pono decision in this lawsuit. Please grant wisdom and insight to Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice David Hackett Souter, Justice John Paul Stevens, and Justice Clarence Thomas.

We remember that first and foremost, Ke Akua, our beloved Princess Pauahi loved You, and trusted You alone as the ultimate source of our peoples’ hope and restoration. So we now join together and lift up Your name in theislands, and everywhere: "No ka mea, he Akua nui ‘o Iehova, he Ali’i nui ho’i ma luna o nä Akua apau. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

About Me

My involvement in the movement for justice for Hawaiians began when I read the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling in John Doe vs. Kamehameha Schools (8/2/05). A student at Kamehameha Schools for most of my childhood, I am a direct beneficiary of Princess Pauahi’s gift of education to our people. Like all Native Hawaiians, I was devastated by the court's decision, for it threatened our ability to access this vital resource intended by our Princess for her people who were (and still are) suffering at the bottom rungs of society. In short, her work (and ours) is not pau.
I issued a call to gather. In less than two weeks over 2,000 Native Hawaiians and supporters gathered at the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. We asked Ke Akua for justice on earth for the aboriginal people of Hawai'i. Our struggle continues, but we (like our Princess) place ourselves in His loving hands, knowing that as we humble ourselves and seek Him, He will be faithful to forgive and heal our people and our 'aina.
Let us move forward together in unity, brothers, and sisters. E holopono me ka lokahi.! He inoa no 'Iesu Cristo, Noelani
(Noelani@HawaiiansUnite.com)